A central question posed in this book revolves around the issue of how the various economic, social and political challenges may lead (or might have already led) to a reformulation of the ideals of justice as we knew it – its normative foundations, premises, scope and boundaries. Some of the pressing questions we ask include: What is just and what is unjust? Where does (in)justice start? Who is entitled to (what kind of) justice? On what grounds? Who should secure justice and how? And – last but not least – what barriers to the realisation of justice are there and what are their sources? This book is an outcome of a collaborative Horizon 2020 project Towards a European Theory of Justice and Fairness (ETHOS). The main goal of ETHOS was thus to develop an empirically informed European theory of justice by: 1) refining and deepening the knowledge on the European foundations of justice – both historically based and contemporary envisaged; 2) enhancing the awareness of the mechanisms that impede the realization of the justice ideals that live in contemporary Europe; 3) advancing the understanding of the process of drawing and re-drawing of the boundaries, or fault lines, of justice; and 4) providing guidance to politicians, policy makers, advocacies and other stakeholders on how to design and implement policies to reserve inequalities and prevent injustice. This introductory chapter outlines the core concepts of the theoretical framework as well as how the following chapters contribute to the main aim of the project.
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Front Matter
